Forest ecology

Prof. Dr. Miglena Zhiyanski – Head of the department [CV]
Chief Assist. Dr. Dimitar Petrov Dimitrov [CV]
Chief Assist. Dr. Rositsa Yaneva [CV]
Chief Assist. Dr. Eli Pavlova-Traykova [CV]
Chief Assist. Dr. Todor Stoyanov [CV]
Chief Assist. Dr. Lora Kirova [CV]
Chief Assist. Dr. Elena Todorova [CV]
Assist. Dr. Lora Stoeva [CV]
Assist. Kristian Kolev, PhD Student [CV]
Eng. Nadezhda Starshova [CV]
Eng. Svetoslava Daskalova [CV]
Eng. Yonka Slavchova Vasileva [CV]

Scientific and research areas

  • Forest ecosystems – a factor for climate change mitigation
  • Forest hydrology and soil erosion
  • Characteristics of soils from natural and anthropogenically influenced forest ecosystems
  • Characteristics of the humus system in forest soils
  • Environmental problems of the reforestation
  • Cycle of the substances and elements in forest ecosystems
  • Dendrochronology
  • Climate change and its impact on the water resources in forest ecosystems
  • Wildfires – behaviour, distribution and impact on soil functions
  • Methods and techniques for the remediation of contaminated soils and substrates

Projects

Projects funded with budget subsidy

2009 – 2014 – Stationary studies of structural and and functional features of forest ecosystems under climate change
2009 – 2011 – Preservation and restoration of soils in forest ecosystems under different anthropogenic impacts and climate change
2012 – 2014 – Comprehensive studies of forest soils at different influences
2014 – 2016 “Study on the structural and functional features of forest ecosystems under climate change and anthropogenic impacts”
2014 – 2016 “Risk processes, disasters and natural phenomenon in forest areas”

Bilateral Agreements for Scientific Cooperation of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and Russian Academy of Sciences

2009-2011 – Mathematical modelling of the soil organic matter dynamics of forest soils – Institute of the physicochemical and biological problems of soil science.
2012-2014 – Mathematical modelling of the soil organic matter dynamics of forest soils – Institute of the physicochemical and biological problems of soil science.

Projects funded by National Science Fund (Ministry of education and science)

2008 – 2010 Investigation of the soil erosion as a relevant factor for desertification processes, through methods, used in Bulgaria and Macedonia”, Bilateral project Bulgaria-Macedonia
2008 – 2011 – Genetic characterization of populations and the quality of the fruit of the common chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.)
2008 – 2011 – Climatic sensitivity of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) at their south-eastern distribution limit under global changes
2009-2011 – Development of the National Centre of Excellence research. Laboratory facilities for elemental spectral analysis at the Forest Institute – BAS
2009 – 2013 – Accumulation of soil carbon and flow of the element in soil-plant system in urban forest parks
2009 – 2013 – Natural disturbances and dynamics in natural forests of spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.)
2010 – 2014 – Role of the belowground phytomass in the annual fixation of CO2 from forest ecosystems from main tree species in Bulgaria
2010 – 2014 – Climate and history: dendrochronological, climatic and historical reconstruction of Bulgarian history, 1500 -2000 years
2012 – 2014 – Modelling of the forest and field fires behaviour
2012 – 2015 – Comprehensive assessment of the potential of forest tree species and agricultural crops for energy in Bulgaria
2014 – 2016 – Elaboration of e-based system of sensitive mountain areas in Bulgaria – Bilateral Project Bulgaria-Germany.

Projects funded by funds and organization

2010 – Development of a program of measures for adaptation of forests from Bulgaria to climate change Bulgaria, funded by Executive Forest Agency
2008 – Parameters and adjustment of the soil properties and quality characteristics at natural and anthropogenic degradation, elaboration of diagnostic indexes and their classification, development of contemporary methods and systems for soil fertility preservation, Agricultural Academy at Ministry of Agriculture and Food MAF
2010 – 2012 – Natura 2000 “Establishment of protected areas in Bulgaria” Lot 6 “Mapping of forest habitats”
2012 – 2014 – Development of the classification of the main types of the fuel materials in forest ecosystems. Project No 152/ 07.12.2012 (Funded by Executive Agency of Forestry at Ministry of Agriculture and Food)

International projects

2007 – 2008 – Hazard Monitoring for Risk Assessment and Risk Communication (MONITOR)
2008 – 2009 – Investigation on soils in urban forest parks in Glasgow region”, funded by Leverhulme Trust, UK
2009 – Further Development and Implementation of an EU-Level Forest Monitoring System (FutMon) – LIFE 07 ENV/DE/000218” – Project finded by Life+
2010 – 2011 – Climate Change and Impacts on Water Supply (CC-WaterS) – Programme: South East Europe
2010 – 2011 – Development of measures for forest adaptation and mitigation negative influence of the climate change – FUTUREforest – Woodlands for Climate Change – INTERREG IV С
2010 – 2011 State and prospects of the Castanea sativa population in Belasitsa mountain: Climate change adaptation, maintenance of biodiversity and sustainable ecosystem management (Funded by EEA and Norway Grants)
2011 – Further Development and Implementation of an EU-Level Forest Monitoring System (FutMon) (FUTMON) – LIFE 07 ENV/DE/000218
2013 – Decision support system for flood risks alert in Strymon/Struma river basin (RiverAlert). European Territorial Cooperation Programme. Greece-Bulgaria 2007-2013.
2013 – 2014 – Mitigating Vulnerability of Water Resources under Climate Change – CC-WARE – Programme: South East Europe
2013 – 2015 – Land-use and management impacts on carbon sequestration in mountain ecosystems”, Bulgarian-Swiss Programme “Researches”, SNF (Switzerland) and MEYS (Bulgaria).

COST programs

Action 639 (2007-2010) „Greenhouse gas budgets of soils under changing climate and land use (BurnOut)”.
Action 0601 (2007 – 2011) – Forest Management and the Water Cycle (FORMAN)
Action FP0701 (2008 – 2012) – Post-fire forest management in Southern Europe
Action FP0803 (2009-2013) – Belowground carbon turnover in European forests
Action ES1104 (2012-2016) – Arid Lands Restoration and Combat of Desertification: Setting Up a Drylands and Desert Restoration Hub
Action FP1106 (2012-2016) – Studying Tree Responses to extreme Events: a Synthesis (STReESS)
Action ES1203 (2012 – 2016) – Enhancing the resilience capacity of SENSitive mountain FORest ecosystems under environmental change (SENSFOR)
ActionTD1107 (2012 – 2016) – Biochar as option for sustainable resource management
Action FP1204 (2013 – 2016) – Green Infrastructure approach: linking environmental with social aspects in studying and managing urban forests
Action FP1305 (2014-2018):Linking belowground biodiversity and ecosystem function in European forests (BioLink)